Panel construction



May 14, 1940.

G. G. GILPIN PANEL CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 17. 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Aff/7 May 14, 1940. G. G. GILPIN PANEL CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 17. 19585 Sheets-Sheet 2 @aff/7 May 14, 1940. G. G. GlLPlN PANEL CONSTRUCTIONled Fe'b. 17, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 afin ril/r4; 1

IIII vm/ Patented May 14, 1940 I; UNITED "STATES PA'IENTI oll-ficl PANELcoNs'raUc'rxoN Garth G.. Gilpin, Riverside, Ill., assignor to StandardRailway Equipment Manufacturing Company, Chicago, lll., a corporation ofDela- Application February 17, 1938, Serial No. 190,913

' 9 Claims. (Cl. 105-409) 'I'he invention relates to panels usedparticularly as parts of railway cars, such as end walls, side walls,roofs, floors, drop end gates for mill type gondola cars, bulkheads forrefrigerator cars, hatch plugs and side doors for box or automobilecars.

The object of the invention is to provide a panel comprising a metallicsheet formed with a plurality of substantially parallel corrugationsextending between and toopposite edges of the sheet, which corrugationsare formed in the metallic sheet by the folding process withoutstretching panel having corrugations merging into the metallic plateand, of course, materially increasing the strength of the panel as awhole. In such a construction a relatively thin metallic plate or sheetmay -be` used to ,obtain the same strength as a relatively thick plateformed with the corrugations terminating into the body of the platebecause more metal may be positioned away from -theneutral axis of thestructure and also because the material is' notstretched in corrugatingit.

A further object of the invention is to provide means to stiffen each ofthe above mentioned edges of the' corrugated metallic sheet by previdinga member extending normally to the length of the corrugations andsecured to such corrugations to form a beam so that a load imposed uponthe corrugations is transmitted to such stili'eners, and a furtherobject of the invention is to associate such stifieners with other partslof the railway car so that such load will be transferred from thestiffeners to the car structure.

A further object of the invention is to so form such stiffener andsecure it to the corrugated metallic sheet as to provide a box shapebeam having great strength for the amount of material used, and afurther object is to form the stiffener so that it can be secured to thecorrugated metallic plate to form a weatherproof structure. y

A further object of the invention is to provide the stiffener with adiagonally disposed scallop or serrated margin on each side of thecorrugated plate and to secure such margins together through thecorrugated plate to provide cooperation therebetween in beam action.

In forming a metallic plate or metallic sheet with corrugationsextending between opposite edges thereof, by the folding process, theplate is alternately bent in opposite directions on substantiallyparallel lines, and owing to the various stiffnesses of various metallicplates (of the same metal) and owing to the various degrees of stiffnessin the same metallic sheet (due to the varying chemical composition ofthe metal)y the lseveral corrugations will not be exactly the samedepth, nor will the distances between the several corrugations in thesame plate be the same in all cases, therefore, I position theserrations or scallops at an oblique angle to the plane of the panel sothat as the stiffener is assembled with y tlrie corrugated plate thesescallops or serrations will readily adjust themselves to the variationsin the contour of the several corrugations due to the fact that theangularity of the several serrations or scallops may differ relative toeach other according to the diierence in depth 0r width of thecorrugations. This difference in angularity may be small so it will notaffect the appearance of the finished panel, but, nevertheless, a tightfit between the serrations or scallops and the corrugated plate isessential so that the several elements will cooperate mechanically, andsecondly, so that welded material may be applied at the edges of theserrations and the scallops, and thirdly, to provide a weatherproofstructure.

Another object is to form the serrations or scallops described in thepreceding paragraph in a semi-spherical surface so that as a scallop orserration is pressed into place it will expand or contract toaccommodate the variation in distances between adjacent corrugations andthe variations in depths of the corrugations. The semi-spherical planesmay be concave or convex. `4,0

The permissible variation in the angularity of the several scallops orserrations and the provision of semi-spherical scallops or serrationsprovides a contact between the edges of the scallops or serrations andthe corrugations in the metallic plate so that welded material may beeasily applied to secure the edges of the scallops or serrations to thecorrugations. This is important because welded material cannot beeconomically applied unless the materials are substantially in contact.

Another object is to provide means to stiien ythe edges of a metallicplate or sheet which has been strengthened and reinforced by a pluralityof corrugations, as disclosed and claimed in Patent 66 corrugated plate,as, for instance, when the panel is usedas a hopper door in a hopper carthe scallops may be used on the upper side only; that is, the side incontact with the lading, to obtain free discharge of the lading, andalso when the panel is used as a sliding side door for a box carV thescallops may be used on the outside only to reduce wind resistance. Whenused as side wall units of a hopper car the scallops would be on theinside to assure discharge of the lading.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows one-half of my improved panel. Fig. 2 is a side view ofFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an yend view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. l.

Fig. 7 is a section on line 1-1 of Fig. l. Fig. 8 shows a frontelevation of a railway car wherein my improved panel forms the end Wallthereof.

Fig. 9 shows a section on line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a partial side elevation of the car shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

Figs. 11 to 16 inclusive show a plurality of my improved panelsintegrally connected to form walls, floors or roofs.

Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive show my improved panel wherein the metallic sheet2 is formed with a plurality of corrugations 3 comprising crests 4,valleys 5 and side walls 6, which corrugations 3 extend to the oppositeedges 1 of the metallic sheet. The corrugations may be parallel and ofequal width and equal depth. In the form illustrated I have shownrelatively deep major corrugations I0 which decrease in depth and widthtoward the edges I of the plate in combination with a plurality of minorcorrugations II positioned between the major corrugations I0 whichincrease in width andl depth toward the edges 'I of the plate, thusobtaining a plate of relatively great strength and rigidity adjacent themiddle of the plate and relatively great resiliency adjacent the edgesof the plate. At the edges I of the plate the corrugations are-preferably of equal depth and spaced apart distances equal theirwidths. .These varying depth and varying width corrugations IIJ-I I arepreferably positioned and formed so that the length of thecenter line ofthe material at any cross section (normal to the corrugations) issubstantially the same as any cross section parallel thereto, so thatthe opposite edges 1-1 are straight, parallel and normal to the lengthof the corrugations, thus facilitatingI the application of my improvedstiffeners. Such varying depth and varying width corrugations aredisclosed in Patents No. 1,638,172 and No. 1,681,818 mentioned before.

The means shownv for stiffening each ledge 'I of the corrugated sheetcomprises a channel shape stitfener I5 having a web I6 and spaced apartflanges I1 wherein the flanges I7 overlap and are preferably secured(I8) to the ends of the corrugations 3 and wherein the margin ofdisposed scallops or serrations 26 extending 'between and.preferablysecured to the crests 4, valleys 5 and side walls 6 of the corrugations3.' Welded material is preferably applied at the edge of the scallops 20to secure them to the adjacent corrugations. The scallops or serrationsare diagonally disposed or positioned at an angle to the plane of theplate for reasons hereinbefore mentioned.

The opposite scallops or serrations 26 and' 2l are positioned so thatthe planes thereof intersect and means areprovided (preferably weldedmaterial) to secure such scallops or serrations to the corrugated sheetat the line of intersection of to the side wall 32 of the car andoverlapping the ends of the corrugations 3 secured thereto'(33),

which outer member 3l is provided with scallops A or serrations 20. Theinner member 36 is secured to the side wall 32 of the car and underliesthe end of the corrugations 3 and is preferably secured thereto (31),which inner member 36 is also provided with scallops or serrations 2l.Welded material is preferably applied at the edge of the scallops 20and2I to secure them to the adjacent corrugations.

Panels lmay be made with stifleners having scallops or serrations on oneside of the corrugated plate only and still come Iwithin scope of theinvention;

Figs. 11 to 16 'inclusive show my improved means of stiffening the.edges ofcorrugated metallic sheets (wherein the corrugations extend to16. in which case, the means of stiiening andconnecting thev corrugatedmetallic sheet may form corner posts or eave mouldings.

In the construction shown in Fig. 11 the member 40 is positioned on oneside of the corrugated metallic sheets 4I and 42 and overlaps and issecured to the metallic sheets by the welded material 43 and 44.. Theopposite margins of the member are each provided with a plurality ofdiagonally disposed scallops 45-46 which extendv between and are securedby welding 41.-48 to they 'disposed angularly to each other and theelement 56 has angularly disposed arms 51 and 58 secured (59 and 60) tothe respective, sheets 54-55. 'I'he member 62 is preferably formed on alarge radius to form an arch. f

In Fig. 13 the constructionis similar to Fig. 11,

the i .means may form a post of a wall when the planes y but shows theouter member 86 fiat and the inner element i1 serrated or scalloped.Fig. 14 shows the sheets 54 and 55 are disposed angularly to each otherand the serrated or scalloped inner element .l is fiat.

In Fig. the outer member 'l0 and the inner element 1I,- are bothprovided with opposite serrated or scalloped margins fitting within andsecured to the corrugations of both of the corrugated metallic sheetslI-I2. Fig. 16 shows a construction similar to Fig. 15 wherein thesheets 54 and 55 are disposed angularly to each other. In thisarrangement the inner element Il is flat.

'I'he accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of theinvention, though it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the'exact details of construction shown and described, as itis obvious that various modifications thereof, withinlthe scope of theclaims, will occur to persons skilled inthe art.

I claim:

1. Means for stiening the edge of a corrugated metallic sheet adaptedfor use as an end gate of a railway car wherein the corrugations extendto the edge of the sheet comprising a channel shaped stiifener with theflanges thereof overlapping the end portions of the corrugations, one ofsaid anges having a diagonally disposed mar .gin formed with scallopswhich nest in and are rigidly secured along the edges thereof to the,crests and troughs of said corrugations.

2. Means for stiiening the edge of a corrugated metallic sheet whereinthe corrugations extend to the edge of the sheet comprising a channelshaped stiffener with the anges thereof overlapping the ends of thecorrugations, each of said flanges having a diagonally disposedscalloped margin extending between and secured to said corrugations,said scalloped margins positioned so that the planes thereof intersect,and means to secure said scalloped margins to the corrugated sheet atthe line of intersection of said planes to form a box sectionalstiifener.

3. Means for stiffening the edge of a corrugated metallic sheet adaptedfor use as an end gate of a railway car wherein the corrugations extendto the edge of the sheet comprising a channel shaped stiifener with theflanges thereof overlappingv the end portions of the corrugations, oneof said flanges having a diagonally disposed margin formed with scallopswhich nest in and are rigidly secured along the edges thereof to thecrests and troughs of said corrugations, each scallop of the scallopedmargin being a semispherical surface for the purpose specified.

4. Means for stifIening the edge of a corrugated metallic sheet adaptedfor use as an end gate of a. railway car wherein the corrugations extendto the edge of the sheet comprising a channel shaped stiffener with theflanges thereof overlapping the end portions of the corrugations, one ofsaid flanges having a diagonally disposed margin formed with scallopswhich nest in and are rigidly secured continuously along the edgesthereof to the crests and troughs of said corrugations,

5. Means for stiiening the edge of a corrugated metallic sheet adaptedfor use as an end gate of a railway car wherein the corrugations extendto the edge of the sheet comprising a channel shaped stiifener with theflanges thereof overlapping and secured to the end portions of thecorrugations, one of said flanges having a. diagonally disposed marginformed with scallops which nest in and are rigidly secured along theedges thereof to the crests and troughs of said corrugations.

6. Means for stiifening the edge of a corrugated sheet adapted for useas an end gate of a railway car. wherein the corrugations extend to theedge of the sheet comprising a channelshaped stiffener with the flangesthereof overlapping the end portions of the corrugations and diagonallydisposed scallops on said flanges which nest in and are rigidly securedalong the edges thereof to the crests and troughs of said corrugationson opposite sides of said sheet.

7. Means for stiflening the edge of a corrugated sheet adapted for useas an end gate of a railway car wherein the corrugations extend to theedge of the sheet comprising a stiifener traversing said corrugationsnear the ends thereof and scallops on said stiiener which nest in andare rigidly secured along the edges thereof to the crests and troughs ofsaid corrugations.

8. Means for stiffening the edge of a corrugated sheet adapted for useas an end gate of a railway car lwherein the corrugations extend to theedge of the sheet comprising a stiifener traversing said corrugationsnear the ends thereof and diagonally disposed scallops on saidstiil'erier which nest in and are rigidly secured along the edgesthereof to the crests and troughs of said corrugations.

9. Means for stifl'ening the edge of a corrugated sheet adapted for useas an end gate of a railway car wherein the corrugations extend to theedge of the sheet comprising a stiffener traversing said corrugationsnear the ends thereof in fiatwise relation with the general plane of thesheet, said stiffener having an angularly disposed part forreinforcement thereof, and scallops on said stiffener which nest in andare rigidly secured along the edges thereof to the crests and troughs ofsaid corrugations.

GARTH G. GILPIN.

